Dave's personal strength that sets him apart from other lawyers is his skill in courtroom presentation. As a trial lawyer, Dave draws from his master's degree in persuasion and formidable collegiate record as a three-time U.S. Intercollegiate National Champion in public speaking - ranked number two in the world in 1982. He has been recognized by his peers as a SuperLawyer for many years.
Dave is a 1986 graduate of the University of Southern California Law Center where he won the American Judicature Society Award for Appellate Advocacy, and was selected to represent USC at the National Moot Court Competition. He also graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Occidental College and received a Masters degree in Political Persuasion.
Dave strongly believes in supporting our community and encourages every attorney to participate in community based organizations. In recognition of this commitment, in 2004 Dave was honored as the Community Leader of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club of Venice where he now serves on the Board of Governors. In 2010 he was recognized by the LAX Coastal Area Chamber in 2010 with the Chairman's Award for "exemplifying community service." In 2001 the Westchester/LAX/Marina del Rey Chamber of Commerce gave him the Community Service Award "in recognition of exceptional philanthropic dedication to the community". An active Rotarian, he was twice named Rotarian of the Year - in 2005-06 with the Playa Sunrise club and in 1994-95 with the Venice-Marina club where he also served as President and started an annual trek to Mexico to build a home for a family in need in conjunction with the Casa de los Pobres of Tijuana. In 2008 Dave received the Silver Medal from the Office of the President of the United States in recognition of his time given to community service.
He is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce of which he was President in 2003-04 and currently chairs the Public Policy Committee. In addition, Dave is a founding member of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester Playa del Rey since 2001. Dave is also an appointee to the LAX North Runway Safety Advisory Committee which worked with NASA to examine issues relating to airport expansion and runway realignment.
He has also contributed his time to Los Angeles City and County government. Most recently he served as Commissioner for the Los Angeles County Commission on Judicial Procedures and chaired its subcommittee on Indigent Needs (2008-10). For the city he has served as member of the Board of Airport Commissioners (2004-05) and as the mayor's appointee to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission (2004).
On weekends, Dave is a serious sailboat racer with multiple national championships to his credit.
Boys & Girls Club Community Leader Award
Dave was recognized for his 20 years of probono service to the Boys and Girls Club of Venice as its Community Leader of the Year. Below is a video created by the Boys and Girls Club and shown at the awards dinner that evening with a little more detail on Dave's work in the community.